Outboard motor tilt-up rack



March 28, 1961 5, BROWN r 2,977,084

OUTBOARD MOTOR TILT-UP RACK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 11, 1959INVENTdR'S Dal/I'd G. Brown Era/d N ind/51?];

BY 57 I ATTORNEY March 28, 1961 D. G. BROWN ETAL 2,977,084

OUTBOARD MOTOR TILT-UP RACK Filed May 11, 1959 Ira 4'.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 INVENTOR BY I M-mwn OUTBOARD MOTOR TILT-UP RACK FiledMay 11, 1959, Ser. No. 812,242

2 Claims. (Cl. 248-351) This invention relates to a rack and has as itsprimary object the provision of a portable rack which is adapted to bemounted on the stern or transom of a boat equipped with an outboardmotor and propeller assembly mounted for vertical swinging movement, fortemporarily supporting the motor and propeller assembly in a tilt-upposition when not in use, particularly when transporting the boatoverland on a wheeled carriage.

Outboard motor and propeller assemblies :as now extensively employed aremounted on the stern or transom of a boat by means of a pair of clampbrackets to which the assembly is pivotally connected for movementbetween an operative upright position and an inclined or tiltedinoperative position. In the upright position the propeller of theassembly is ordinarily positioned on a plane below the keel of the boatwhere the propeller is subject to damage by impact with solids whenhauling the boat ashore and when transporting it overland on aconveyance such as a dolly or trailer. To obviate this hazard it iscustomary to swing the assembly to a tilted position wherein thepropeller is elevated above the plane of the keel of the boat and tofasten the assembly in such position.-

It is now general practice to support the motor and propeller assemblyin its tilt-up position on a boat by means of an unattached wooden blockinterposed between the stern of a boat and the underside of theassembly.

In some instances the block is lashed in place but generally isunattached and held in place against the stern of the boat and theunderside of the housing of the motor propeller assembly by the pinchingaction of the weight of the assembly imposed on the block. Manifestly ablock held in place by this pinching action is subject to beingmisplaced as by a jolt or jar such as to cause the block to be dislodgedand fall from beneath the assembly and thereby allow the latter to dropwith possible resultant damage to the propeller.

A particular object of the invention is to provide a rack which may bereadily applied to the stern of a boat and also removed therefromwithout necessity of detaching the outboard motor assembly from itsconnection with the boat, and which may be easily and quicklymanipulatedin and out of its motor tilt-up position, and which when inits operative position will securely support the motor propellerassembly in an elevated inclined position without danger of accidentaldisengagement.

Another object is to provide a rack of the above character which issimple and economical in construction, and which is highly efficient inoperation.

A further object is to provide a rack for the purpose set forth whichconstitutes a portable unit adapted to be attached to and removed fromthe transom of a boat equipped with an outboard motor independent ofsuch motor, and which when unattached may be readily transported as inmerchandising and also transferred from one boat to another, if need be,apart from outboard motor equipment.

With the foregoing objects in view together with such other objects andadvantages as may subsequently appear,

United States Patent r ce the invention resides in the parts and incombination, construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter describedand claimed, and as illustrated by way of example in the accompanyingdrawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the rack showing it as detached;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation with portions broken away and showingparts in section;

Fig. 3 is a detail in section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2 showing thesaddle for efifecting seating engagement with the motor propellerassembly;

Fig, 4 is a view in side elevation with portions broken away and partlyin section showing the invention as applied to the transom of a boat andas disposed when supporting an outboard motor and propeller assembly ina tilt-up position; and

Fig. 5 is a diagram in perspective of a fragmentary portion of thestructure shown in Fig. 5 as viewed toward the stern of the boat, 7

Referring to the drawings more specifically A indicates the transom orend wall of a boats stern, B designates generally a conventionaloutboard motor and propeller assembly embodying a propeller C and anelongated housing D enclosing propeller driving mechanism (not shown) ina usual manner, and EE indicates a pair of clamp brackets affixed to thetransom A to which the upper portion of the housing D is pivotallyconnected by a horizontal pivot pin F for vertical swinging movement ofthe housing between an upright position indicated in dotted lines inFig. 4 and an inclined or tilt-up position as shown in full lines inFigs. 4 and 5.

The essence of the invention resides in a rack G for supporting theoutboard motor assembly in a tilt-up posi tion while carried on theclamp brackets E-E and pivot pin F. The rack G is constructed so that itmay be supported on the transom.A and applied thereto and removedtherefrom while the clamp brackets E-E are aflixed to the transom andwhile the outboard motor as-' sembly is supported on said brackets bythe pivot pin F. To this end the rack G includes a U-shaped frame I embodying spaced apart side members 66 having lower ends interconnected bya transverse rail 7 and having parallel downturned hook-shaped hangers8-8 on their upper ends projecting rearwardly therefrom which hangersare engageable with the upper margin of the transom A in such fashion asto suspend the rack G therefrom with the rack frame H extending intransverse parallel relation to the outer surface of the boats stern.

The frame H and the arm 10 are here shown as formed of metal tubing butmanifestly may be fabricated of any other material and bar stock havingrequisite strength and rigidity.

The frame H of the rack is equipped with cushions 9 arranged to seatagainst surface portions of the boat to prevent marring thereof, whichcushions may be of any suitable construction and located on the rackwherever required. As here shown the cushions 9 on the rack includeresilient tubes encompassing the hangers 8-8 and the upper portions ofthe side members 66; and also include resilient tubes encompassing theend portions of the rail 7.

A brace-arm 10 is pivotally mounted on the rail 7 intermediate the endsthereof to swing vertically for positioning at an upward and outwardinclination from the rail, which brace-arm has an inner end connected bya pivot pin 11 to a yoke 12 on the sleeve 13 encompassing and rigidlyaflixed to the rail 7 as by a screw 14.

The outer end of the arm 10 is equipped with a V- shaped saddle K theinner sides of the diverging side members a-a of which are surfaced by aresilient pad 15. The saddle K is designed to be positioned astride theunderside of the housing D when the rack is disposed in its operativeposition wherein the arm is inclined upwardly and outwardly asparticularly shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

Means are provided for releasably fastening the housing D in its seatedposition on the saddle K, which means is here shown as comprising strapsbb attached to the outer ends of the side members a-a, one of whichstraps has a buckle c or similar fastening on its outer end adapted fordetachable engagement with the other strap in a usual manner.

In the application and operation of the invention, when it is desired todispose the motor-propeller assembly B in its tilt-up position, theU-shaped frame H of the rack G is put in place on the transom A byinitially lifting the outer end of the motor propeller assembly a shortdistance, then positioning the upper ends of the side members 6-6 of theframe H astride of the pair of clamp brackets EE followed by advancingthe hangers 88 into hooked engagement with the upper margin of thetransom as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

During this operation the arm 19 may be suspended in a downwardlyextended position on its pivot pin 11, but upon engaging the hangers 8-8with the transom so as to suspend the frame H thereon, the motorpropeller assembly B is lifted to its upwardly extended position, thearm 10 is swung upwardly and the saddle K on its outer end disposedbeneath the housing D. On this being accomplished the housing D islowered into a seated position in the saddle K whereupon the motorpropeller assembly will be rigidly supported on the arm 10 as shown inFigs. 4 and 5. The housing D is then fastened in its seated position inthe saddle K by passing one of the straps b over and around the housingD and engaging it with the buckle c on the other strap b. Manifestly thehousing D may be otherwise secured to the saddle in any desired manner,such as by lashing with cord or rope.

When it is desired to restore the motor propeller assembly B to itsupright operative position, such may be accomplished by reversing theoperations above described, or if need be may be effected from theinterior of the boat when afioat by disengaging the straps b-b to freethe housing D, whereupon, on further tilting the motor-propellerassembly so as to elevate the housing D free of the saddle K to therebyallow the arm 10 to drop to a downwardly extended position, the rack islifted to free the hangers from the transom A, then turned laterally andupwardly around the housing D, and finally lifted clear of the motorpropeller assembly.

By reversing the operations just described, the rack may be applied fromthe interior of the boat.

Vhile we have shown and described a specific embodiment of theinvention, we do not limit ourselves to the exact details ofconstruction set forth, and the invention embraces such changes,modifications and equivalents of the parts and their formation andarrangement as come within the purview of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. The combination with the transom of a boat, an outboard motorassembly embodying a housing, clamp brackets attached to said transom,and a pivotal connection between said housing and said brackets; of a U-shaped frame having a pair of side members and a connecting end memberand end hangers on said side members engageable with said transom tosuspend said frame from said transom in a dependent position with saidend member lowermost, an arm pivoted on the end member of said framehaving an outer end, and a saddle on said outer end adapted to receiveand support said housing in a tilted position.

2. The combination of a boat transom, a pair of clamp brackets mountedon said transom, an outboard motor and propeller assembly embodying ahousing pivotally mounted on said brackets for vertical swingingmovement; a U-shaped frame suspended from said transom astride saidclamp brackets apart from said brackets and said motor and propellerassembly, an arm pivoted to swing vertically on said frame beneath saidhousing, and a saddle on said arm adapted to receive and support saidhousing to disposed said outboard motor and propeller assembly in atilted position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,150,826 Gill Mar. 14, 1939 2,485,685 Armstrong Oct. 25, 1949 2,745,673Koepke May 15, 1956 2,901,267 Holsclaw Aug. 25, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS588,464 Great Britain -2 May 22, 1947

